A Two Year Difference
by StayStrongxox
Summary: Set before F&F1. Dom is released from Lompoc and finds out that being absent for two years can make a lot of difference in people's lives.
1. Chapter 1

_I'm back!_

 _I was inspired by Fast and Furious 1 to write this, about the aftermath of the death of Dom and Mia's dad..._

 _Enjoy! X_

* * *

Mia Toretto sat on her bed, her black dress crinkled beneath her. A white rose lay next her thigh, as she cradled a photoframe in her hands. Silent tears spilled down her cheeks, her shoulders shaking as she grieved.

Her father was gone. The only other man she could trust in her life was gone. Seven years after burying one parent, she was burying another.

She didnt know the exact details of what happened, just what her older brother had told her. That their father had lost control of his car and it had flipped, though she had a feeling that wasn't the whole truth.

A knock at the door had her head snapping up. She watched as the door handle turned slowly and the door opened to reveal Leticia Ortiz, her best friend six years.

'Hey girl... The hearse is here' she said gently, tucking a strand of black curled hair behind her ear. Letty watched as Mia nodded and got to her feet and put the photoframe back on her bedside table. She turned to face Letty, her eyebrows raising in surprise at seeing black high heels on her feet.

'Don't say anything!' Letty warned, shuffling her heels on Mia's floor, looking and feeling comfortable in her black lace dress which fell just below her knees.

'I wasn't going to' Mia lied, smiling slightly, before picking up her rose and clutch bag, taking a deep breath.

'You ready?' Letty asked softly, holding her arm out for Mia to take. Mia sighed and slipped her arm through Letty's, both of them heading from Mia's room and onto the landing. Mka closed her door and rested her forehead against it.

'Mia? If you're not ready...' Letty trailed off, even the thought of seeing the hearse with the coffin was scaring her slightly. She heard Mia take a deep breath and straighten up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress.

'I'm ready' she said, not convincing Letty one bit, but she followed Mia to the top of the steps and held out her arm again, wincing as Mia gripped it tightly, as if Letty was going to disappear, but Letty herself knew Mia was trying to brace herself for the coffin.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, as Dom entered the household, his face of any emotion. He glanced at Mia and then at Letty, letting his gaze linger on her longer.

'Letty, you're with me and Mia in the family car. There's a separate car for the rest of you guys' Dom told them. Letty didn't miss the way Vince slightly tensed at the fact that she was going with them and not him.

'Dom, I'm not sure-'

'You're with us! End of!' Mia snapped, surprising everybody. Letty nodded quickly and Mia opened the front door, her breath hitching at the sight.

'Its okay... One step at a time' Letty told her softly, as she helped her down the steps and to the car. She watched as the others followed behind her, Dom last as he locked up the house. She smiled sympathetically at him as he neared her. He offered her a small one back and climbed in, sitting in the middle and watching as Letty climbed in and shut the car door, wedging him between herself and Mia...

* * *

The service itself was the worst. Mia cried the most, even through her speech which she only just got through, Letty let a few tears go and she saw Leon and Jesse quickly wipe away their own before going back to being macho. And Dom? Not one ounce of emotion flickered across his face and that terrified Letty.

She was so lost in thoughts that she didn't realised everyone, except for Dom and the gang had moved out, until Leon nudged her.

'We're giving them some privacy' he told her. She nodded and got to her feet, heading to the front where Dom and Mia were stood looking at the coffin.

'We'll be outside. Take as long as you want' Jesse told them, squeezing Dom's shoulder in comfort. They started to head for the door, but a hand clasped tightly round her hand, pulling her back gently. She turned to see Dom locking his jaw as he tried to control his emotions.

'Dom? Its okay to cry. It doesn't make you weak, it makes you human' Letty told him gently, as she rubbed his arm. She felt him tense under her touch and she withdrew her hand slowly.

'Goodbye Daddy!' Mia sobbed, her emotions getting the better of her and she took off running.

'Mia!' Letty shouted. She went to run, but Dom grabbed her waist and pulled her to his chest, his arms tightening round her as his eyes burned.

'I have to be strong for her. I can't let her see me cry when she needs one of us to be strong' Dom said, his voice tight as he tried to hold on to his emotions.

'Yes, you can! It's not good to bottle up your emotions. She won't think any less of you, Dom' Letty told him. He turned his head to look down at her, reassuring him.

He nodded and turned back to the coffin. 'See you, Dad! I'll look after her, I promise!' Dom spoke, before taking Letty's hand and allowing her to lead him outside, to where everyone was waiting for them...

* * *

The wake was back at the Toretto household. People who Letty hadn't seen for years and people who she never met graced the household, paying respect for Antonio Toretto. She looked around the room, a crying Mia was been comforted by Leon and Vince, Antonio's parents were stood in a corner, talking quietly with each other. She frowned when she didn't see Dom anywhere.

'Jesse? You seen Dom?' Letty asked, as Jesse passed her, on his way to toilet.

'Said he was going to work on his car at D.T's' he told her, before heading for the stairs. Letty locked her jaw before anger flowed through her veins. She grabbed the keys to her baby and rushed from the house.

'DOM! WHAT THE HELL?' Letty's voice echoed round the garage as she slammed the door shut, making him jump. He sighed and silently groaned.

'Go away! I want to be by myself, now leave me alone!' Dom told her harshly, his emotions taking a different turn to how they were in the church.

'Don't play that bullshit with me, Dominic Toretto!' Letty shouted, storming towards him as fast as she could in her heels. 'Your little sister needs you and you're here fixing cars!'

'Letty, I'm warning you! GO!' Dom shouted back, leaning back over the car hood.

'NO! Now get your ass back to your house. There's family what need you today and burying yourself in work will not help!' Letty shouted.

Dom had enough. He slammed the wrench down and grabbed Letty by the forearms and pushed her against the wall, holding her there.

'What part of I'm not going back there, do you not understand?' Dom shouted, his eyes dark.

'The last bit! Mia is having a bloody breakdown at home and she needs her big brother to go and put his arms around her and tell her everything is going to okay!' Letty screamed at him, her hands gripping his muscled forearms.

They stared at each other heatedly for a few moment, both them biting their tongues in order to stop themselves from saying something they would regret, before Dom crashed his lips onto hers. Letty responded instantly wrapping her arms round his neck. He scooped her into his arms and sat down on the sofa, sitting her on his lap.

'Let...' Dom breathed, as they parted for air. She rested her forehead against his, while they caught their breaths.

'Don't say anything' Letty whispered back, connecting their lips again heatedly...

* * *

The next morning Mia was curled up on the sofa, a hot chocolate in one hand and the T.V remote in the other. She aimlessly flicked through the channels, eventually settling on a F.R.I.E.N.D.S re-run.

It was halfway through the show when the front door opened and Dom stepped over the threshold. Mia's eyes sparked with anger and was about to shout out when she saw Letty step into the house, her clothes disheveled and her hair a mess, making no secret of what they had been up to all night.

'You can't stay and comfort your little sister, but you can spend all night fucking her?' Mia snapped. Dom turned, his expression showing his disapproval at her choice words.

'I'm going for a shower' Letty told Dom, heading up the stairs, leaving Dom to deal with Mia.

'You may be sixteen but your still my little sister, so watch your language!'

'I don't give a fuck! We buried our Dad yesterday and you couldn't even stick around long enough to put your arms around me and tell me everything was going to be okay! Do you know how that made me feel?' Mia screamed, throwing the cup of hot chocolate at Dom, who quickly ducked and watched as the cup shattered against the wall.

'I'm sorry, Mia! But I'm here now, doesn't that count for anything?' He stated more than asked.

'NO! I needed you yesterday, but it was clear where you prefered to be and who you wanted to comfort you!' Mia yelled, pointing her finger at him, her eyes black.

They stood staring at each other, the couch separating them.

'I'm sorry, Mia. I am!' Dom told his sister softly, walking towards her and hugging her tightly. 'I ran yesterday because I didn't want anyone to offering me anything because it wont bring Dad back. I watched him burn to death in-front of my eyes and I felt useless. I felt like I failed at not doing anything, I failed as a brother because you told me to protect him and I couldn't...' Dom broke off and cleared his throat. 'I couldn't bear to see the look of heartbreak in your eyes when I told you...' he continued, kissing the top of her head gently as she sobbed.

'It won't make me think any less of you. Crying isn't going make anyone think any different of you. You're human, you're allowed to grieve!' Mia told him, as she pulled back from their hug. Dom nodded and smiled a watery smile.

'Listen, why don't you go and fire up the BBQ and I'll run to the shops and get everything we need? Have a little family gathering with the gang to remember Dad by?' Dom asked, watching Mia slowly smile and nod as she came round the idea.

'Sounds good' she said, kissing his cheek and headed into the kitchen, smiling at him over her shoulder.

Dom turned and grabbed his red leather and slipped it over his white tank top he had changed into at garage before he left with Letty and headed for his car.

'Where are you going?' Letty asked, making him jump. He turned to look at her, dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of denim shorts.

'I'm going to get stuff for the BBQ what we're having. Pass word onto the others' Dom told her, tucking a piece of her wet hair behind her ear.

'Okay, anything else?' She asked, watching him closely.

'Yeah. Make Mia doesn't do anything reckless. She's vulnerable' Dom told her. Letty frowned but nodded, not thinking anything of it.

'Right' she sighed, turning to go back inside the house, when Dom called her name. She turned back to face him. 'Yeah?' She asked, squinting at him as the sun tried to blind her.

Dom stroked the side of her face with his hands before connecting their lips, passionately and deep. He pulled away when breath was an issue and leant his forehead against hers. He saw the question in her eyes.

'You look so hot in my shirt!' He whispered, smirking at her before he headed for his car, a stony expression settling over his face...

* * *

 _R &R x_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for the reviews on the first chapter! Much love!_

 _Enjoy X_

* * *

 _Two years later..._

Mia was stretched out on the sun lounger, the hot Hawaiian sun beaming down on her white bikini clad body. She was in heaven. Hot guys, hot weather and drinks by the pool were the perfect end to her high school life.

'This is perfect' Mia said happily to herself, picking her colorful non alcoholic cocktail and taking a sip, before placing it back down next to her.

'Are you not moving from this sunbed today?' Her companion asked, as she stood next to her sun lounger. Mia lifted her big, black Chanel sunglasses from her eyes and stared up at Letty.

'Nope. You can go home today. I'm staying here' Mia told Letty, letting her sunglasses fall back down to cover her eyes.

'And your brother coming home?' Letty asked, knowing she would hit a sore point with Mia.

'Yes!' Mia snapped, her tone telling Letty to not mention her brother again or she would hit her. Letty rolled her eyes and climbed onto her sun lounger, allowing the hot sun to dry off her water glistened body.

Letty, and Mia herself, knew she was been stubborn. After Dom had ended up in Lompoc Maximum Security prison for a beating a guy within an inch of his life with a spanner, for killing his Dad, Mia had resented him for breaking his promise to look after her.

 _'Where is he? Where's Dom?' Mia fretted, as Jesse and Vince walked through the door, their faces void of all emotion. 'Guys?' she shouted, wanting some kind of response._

 _'He got two years in Lompoc' said Leon, stepping over the threshold with his arm over Letty's shoulders. Mia felt the air escape her lungs._

 _'What?' she whispered, her eyes quickly filling with tears. She had lost her parents and now her brother, albeit not forever, thankfully._

 _'I'm sorry, Mia' Jesse said, as he walked forward to hug her. She hugged him back, desperately trying to hold onto the tears that burned her eyes._

 _'What going to happen to me?' Mia asked, as she pulled gently away from the hug. Vince, Leon and Letty sat down on the sofa, worrying her._

 _'Your Grandma and Granddad are going to come and look after you' Letty told her softly. Mia's widened in horror._

 _'For two years? No way! Can't you guys look after me?' she asked frantically, the thought of living with her grandparents for two years horrified her._

 _'We wish we could, but we're not blood relatives' Leon told her gently._

 _'But you're my family' Mia whispered brokenly. Letty had a sympathetic look on her face and she moved to hug Mia tightly._

 _'Sorry, girl' she told her gently, as Mia hugged her back tightly._

 _'I'm never going to forgive him for this!' Mia vowed, her eyes hardening as the tears subsided.._

'Oh please. We both know the second you'll see him, you'll run and hug him' Letty spoke up, taking a sip of her colorful non alcoholic cocktail.

The silence that followed answered Letty's statement.

* * *

'So, what shall we do for dinner?' Vince asked Jesse and Leon as they shut up the garage for the day. They headed for their cars, leaning against them as they figured out what to do.

'Takeout?' Jesse suggested, watching as the others agreed. They climbed into their cars and follow Jesse back to the Toretto house.

'When are the girls back? Tell Mia or Letty this and I'll kill you, but I've missed their cooking' Vince told them as they tucked into the Indian food Jesse had ordered.

'They're back tonight, which reminds me... We'd better tidy this place us' Leon told them as he swallowed the last bite of his tandoori chicken and looked around the house, seeing it littered with takeaway cartons and dirty laundry.

'What time are they getting back?' Jesse asked, through a mouthful of food.

'Tonight some time' Leon replied, as he stood with his empty takeout carton and headed for the kitchen, the others soon following.

'Right whose doing what?' Vince asked, ten minutes later.

'Just pick up all the rubbish and put it in that black bin liner. Then pick up all the laundry and throw it in the upstairs washing basket' Leon told Vince.

'Maybe we should put some washing on? That basket's overflowing as it is' Jesse said, picturing Letty and Mia's expression if they found out they hadn't done any of the chores, like they promised, while they were away.

'Or maybe-'

'Maybe I should flush all your heads down the toilet!' Vince, Leon and Jesse froze before straightening up and slowly turning round to see a pissed off Letty and a horrified looking Mia stood in the doorway.

'Girls! You're back!' Vince exclaimed happily, but Letty shot a stern glare at him and he stayed where he was.

'One thing! I ask you guys to do one thing for us while we went away and you've turned it into a pigsty!' Mia shouted at them, an annoyed look on her face.

'I swear we were just about to do it before you came home!' Leon protested, holding his hands up.

'You bet you're about to do it. Me and Mia are going to unpack and when we come down, I expect every surface to be shining or your family jewels will be feeling painful for a few days!' Letty growled, dragging her suitcase up the stairs, with Mia, who glare dover her shoulder at them before disappearing round the corner to her room.

'You heard the woman, let's get to work!' Vince said, marching in the direction of the kitchen for the black bin liners...

* * *

'So, how was your holiday?' asked Jesse, two hours later. They were all sat outside, round the table with a pack of Corona's in the middle.

'Best holiday ever. No worries, no stress over exams. Bliss' Mia said, smiling. Letty chuckled and took a long sip of Corona before a thought entered her head.

'Where's Dom?' she asked, sitting up in her chair. Vince looked at her, a frown etched on his face.

'In Lompoc, Letty. Have you had a recent blow to the head?' he remarked. Letty shot him a hard glare, before the implications of his words sunk in.

'Wait... You mean he's still there? You idiots! he's getting released today!' Letty shouted, standing up so quickly her chair feel to the floor.

'No, he's getting released on the fourteenth-'

'That's today!' Letty shouted, leaning over the table and brandishing her phone at Vince, showing him the date.

'At least someone was paying attention. Nice view, Let!' Came a voice from behind her. She watched as Leon and the boys froze and Mia's eyes darkened by her brothers return. She whipped round to see Dom standing on the grass, his bags next to him and his arms folded, a smirk on his face.

'Dom! How-'

'A taxi! Since you useless gits forgot about me, you're paying me back the cost!' Dom cut her off, aiming the sentence at the boys as he strode up to the table and grabbed a Corona.

'So, what's the gossip round here then?' Dom asked, taking a long sip of his drink, relishing the alcohol slipping down his throat. Mia glared at him and stood from the table.

'Excuse me' she excused herself and stormed into the house, causing Dom to frown.

'What's got her knickers in a twist?' Dom asked. Letty rolled her eyes and sighed.

'Dom!' she exclaimed, her tone telling him follow his sister. He grumbled and set his beer down, heading for the house he hadn't step foot in for two years.

* * *

He took his time as he headed to his sister's room, taking in the changes she had made to the house in his two year absence. He headed up the stairs and walked towards his sister's room, tentatively raising his hand to knock.

'Mia? Can I come in?' he asked. Silence followed his question. 'Mia?' he tried again but to no avail.

'Go away!'

'I'm not going away till you tell me what's wrong?' Dom shouted through the closed door. The door soon swung open to reveal an upset Mia.

'You broke your promise to me!' she whispered, her eyes shining. She watched as Dom's face fell into regret and sympathy.

'I'm sorry, Mia. It was just-'

'Just what? huh? Something you had to do? Almost beat a guy to death just to get the anger out, even though he killed Dad?' Mia interrupted. Dom opened his mouth to speak, but Mia continued. 'Wasn't Letty a good enough outlet for your anger?'.

Dom's eyes flashed and his jaw set, but he stayed quiet.

'Well that answers that!' Mia said, coldly, turning to walk back into her room. Dom followed her and shut the door, his eyes hard.

'Do you want to know why I did it?' he asked, loudly. Not waiting for Mia's reply, he carried on. 'I did it because I couldn't stand the fact that he was walking around after he killed Dad, barely a scratch on him. The day of the barbecue, I went to find out where he lived. After that, I spent a few mornings following him to the bus stop, memorizing his routine.'

'But why did he come into the garage?' asked Mia, her eyes glued to her older brother.

'Why did he come into the garage?' Dom repeated, his tone telling her she should already know that answer. 'He came in to see if his car was ready after Vince had repaired it! Do you know what it was like, looking at that car everyday, knowing it killed our father and that he was still going drive around it, like a constant reminder? When I hit him for the first time, I wasn't even in control of my body! It was like someone had possessed me, but when I realized what I'd done, I couldn't even lift my arm...'

'What happened after?' Mia whispered, her voice shaky.

'You know what happened after, Mia... Did you get my letters?' he asked, changing the subject. He watched as Mia nodded. 'So why didn't you reply to them?'.

'I didn't want to. You already had Letty and the others been a messenger for us, so I didn't bother' Mia said, her voice raising. 'Do you know what it's like? To go from having a father and brother, to neither in about a month? The day they came home from court when you'd been sentenced, I'd never felt so alone! You promised me and Dad that you would look after me and others and you broke it!'

'I know I did! But I promise you, right here, right now that I will always, always protect you, from this day forward! I promise. You're the only thing I have left to keep me on the straight and narrow'

'I can think of some people who would disagree with that' Mia interjected, a slight smile gracing her features, which in return made Dom chuckle, before turning serious.

'I do promise though, Mia... No matter what else happens in life, I will always protect you, even if we end up on opposite ends of the world, just call and I'll be there... with my army backing me up of course' Dom joked, smiling when he managed to to raise a laugh from Mia's mouth.

'Okay, deal' she told him with a smile.

'So, are we good?' he asked, his face falling when she shook her head.

'You've been absence for two years, Dom. You can't just pick up where you left off, it's not as simple as that. Everything's changed' Mia told him

'You're my sister' he said, sounding hurt.

'I know I am, but that doesn't mean everything just falls back into place again. I need to learn to trust you again, make sure you're not going to end up back in Lompoc and leave us again' Mia told him gently. Dom nodded in understanding, after realizing she was right.

A knock at the door made them jump.

'BBQ's blaring if you want something. I'll bring it up to you if want' Letty's voice floated into the room, making Mia smile at her thoughtfulness.

'No, it's okay. We're coming down' Mia called, hearing Letty's footsteps fade away as they headed for the door.

'By the way, what happened to our Grandparents looking after you?' Dom asked, as Mia swung the door open and stepped out onto the landing.

'Oh we dealt with that' Mia answer cryptically, before shooting him a sweet and innocent smile, wtahcing as he laughed and shook his head.

 _It was good to be home._

* * *

R&R x


End file.
